Bubonic Plague Death Prompts Quarantine in China

The bubonic plague has a prominent place in history books, having killed about a quarter of the European and Asian population in the 14th century in a pandemic now known as the Black Death, but its story does not end there. Periodic outbreaks on a much smaller scale have taken place since that time, with 60 succumbing to the disease in Madagascar not long ago. Thus, when a man in Yumen city, China, died of the plague last week, officials acted quickly to quarantine anyone he had contact with—151 people—and establish four quarantine zones in the city, setting up checkpoints to ensure the areas remain sealed off until they are certain the danger has passed. More…Discuss